FWIW, Bleeding Cool claims that money troubles have led to staff troubles which, in turn, have caused the pre-production on this film to be "delayed weeks – possibly months." No sources are cited, though.

'V' Star Morena Baccarin Among Actresses on 'Avengers' Shortlist (Exclusive)Marvel is conducting screen tests Friday for one of the final roles still looking to be cast in The Avengers, the all-star superhero ensemble being directed by Joss Whedon. Last night Samuel L. Jackson revealed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon it is that of his "sidekick."V star Morena Baccarin is on that list. Also said to be vying for the part are Jessica Lucas, Cobie Smulders and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who are still negotiating their test deals for the part of a key member of the espionage agency run by Nick Fury, played in the Marvel movies by Jackson. . . .The test deals for the role involve a nine-picture option, so whoever snags the role has a chance to be seen in subsequent Marvel movies. There is also a 30-day hold on the actresses.Baccarin, repped by ICM and Seven Summits, may have an edge since the actress did star in Whedon’s short-lived sci-fi TV series Firefly and its subsequent film spinoff, Serenity. . . .Hollywood Reporter, February 3

Cobie Smulders Closes In On 'Avengers'I'm hearing that How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders has emerged as the front runner for the role of SHIELD Agent Maria Hill in the Joss Whedon-directed The Avengers and that a deal could be done before the weekend is out. The role has been the subject of high speculation since Samuel L. Jackson gave it up in an interview with Jimmy Fallon that he would be reading as Nick Fury alongside five actresses vying for an unidentified female sidekick role. That audition happened yesterday. Reports had V's Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as other candidates. Smulders wasn't completely unknown to Whedon. In fact, he liked her as a candidate for Wonder Woman when he was working on that superhero film. Deadline has learned that the role is Maria Hill, who in the comics was the ruthless interim executive director of SHIELD, who was not above blackmailing and bullying superheros to get her way. She was eventually supplanted in that top job by Tony Stark aka Iron Man. . . .Mike Fleming, Deadline.com, February 5

Marvel Studios head talks various 'Avengers' spin-offs. Would you want to see minor characters in their own movies?IGN got a sneak peek at the issue, in which Feige talks about potential sequels to this summer’s tentpoles: “Thor will go off into a new adventure, and Captain America will continue to explore the modern world in another film of his own.” But then, the big twist: Feige also hints that spin-off plans are in store for the supporting characters in Avengers, including Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the various jumpsuited agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “all of whom are more than worthy and capable of carrying their own films.” . . .Feige’s comments bring up an important question, which dates back quite a few decades in the world of comic books. Call it the Hawkeye Dilemma: Can a superhero designed to be a supporting character actually carry his or her own story?Let me make myself very clear here: I think Hawkeye is awesome. Compared to the weighty backstories that hang around Marvel’s Big Three — Captain America’s a Nazi-fighting man out of time, Iron Man has no heart and is a recovering alcoholic, Thor’s a freaking god — Hawkeye was always a great breath of fresh air. Like Batman, he’s a regular non-superpowered dude; unlike Batman, he’s the opposite of morose, quick-witted and occasionally just full of himself. When I was a kid reading various Avengers comics — who can forget Avengers West Coast? — I immediately noticed that any Avengers team that featured Hawkeye was noticeably cooler and more entertaining.But every now and then, Marvel would try giving Hawkeye his own comic book… and all the magic was gone. Maybe it’s because the character doesn’t have the mythic resonance of a Captain America; maybe it’s because there are really only so many stories you can tell about a dude who shoots arrows real good. At a certain point, I think Hawkeye plays well off of bigger, more serious characters. He, himself, is not a serious character, and any attempt to make him so is doomed to failure. . . .Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, April 20

Tomorrow we start shooting (I THINK I'm legally permitted to say that). Day one. That's right. We'll be shooting the pivotal death/betrayal/product placement/setting up the sequel/coming out scene, at the following address:

[Marvel Lawyers rush in, take Joss's keyboard, blowtorch a picture of his family like in "Stormy Monday", drink his milkshake, leave the seat up, fluff his pillows, violently unfluff his pillows, leave]

Ok, I'm not exactly looking forward to this (just not my stable of heroes) but the prospect of Captain America clashing with Tony Stark wasn't one that occurred to me. That could be fun to watch.

This is one aspect that gives me a lot of hope, since I enjoyed the way Whedon has played different characters off each other in his other series and in ASTONISHING X-MEN. I had counted on this being one of the most enjoyable aspects of the film and it looks like they're going to milk that angle.

As for the action, it looks pretty generic. But that's not why I watch Whedon stuff anyway.

Sigh. If only. (Full confession: I actually like the movie, but mostly because of the visual style. I'm one of those sad souls that hopes to one day see a director's cut--even though it will never happen).

Meanwhile, remember how various toy-company brochures etc. gave away the look of the crystal skull months before the last Indiana Jones movie came out? It's happening again with The Avengers: DO NOT CLICK HERE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHO THE MOVIE'S SECRET VILLAIN MIGHT BE!! (And no, I'm not talking about Loki -- he's the NON-secret villain.)

Hmmm. That SOUNDS like the sort of thing I would have caught before, but I honestly can't recall if I did. Neither I nor anyone else ever mentioned it in either of our threads on the Thor movies, at any rate.

Of course, considering Portman was also playing LEIA'S mother, I can't help but recall this photo that I posted to my blog a few years ago...

I have to say I'm impressed. I don't really have confidence that the movie will be that good, necessarily (especially compared to something like The Dark Knight Rises, which doesn't have to find a way to get so many high-profile superheroes together and give them something credible to do), but it certainly looks cool. Really, really cool.